The nature of mind is like a mirror. It is not affected by whatever appears in it, yet it never fails to reflect everything perfectly.

Don't be a bodhisatta; don't be an arahant; don't be anything at all. Being something makes you suffer.

The root of suffering is not in the world outside us but in our own minds.

Drink your tea slowly and reverently, as if it is the axis on which the world earth revolves - slowly, evenly, without rushing toward the future.

The real secret of the arts: always be a beginner.

The key to happiness is inner peace. The greatest obstacles to inner peace are disturbing emotions such as anger, attachment, fear and suspicion.

If you truly loved yourself, you could never hurt another.

In the moment of love, awareness is very strong. Use that awareness, that strength of consciousness, to look into yourself.

The mind is like a well-forged sword - it adapts to all situations.

The silence between the notes is as important as the notes themselves.

When you love someone, you have to have trust and confidence. Love without trust is not yet love.

Just as treasures are uncovered from the earth, so virtue appears from good deeds, and wisdom appears from a pure and peaceful mind.

Freedom is not found in the absence of difficulty, but in our relationship to it.

In meditation, we are continuously discovering who and what we are.

The dharma wheel turns from the beginning. There is neither excess nor deficiency. The whole universe is moistened with nectar, and the truth is ready to harvest.

External phenomena are like a dream, whatever appears is not real. Recognize the nature of dream-like phenomena to be dream-like.

Each moment of clear seeing is a moment of freedom from the illusion of permanence, satisfaction, and self.

There are only two mistakes one can make along the road to truth; not going all the way, and not starting.

Just as the wise do not take a mirage to be water, nor an echo to be a voice, so the enlightened do not take the world to be real.

Don't expect or desire anything. Just keep noting whatever arises in the present moment.

Concentration and insight are like two wings of a bird: both are necessary for the flight to liberation.

Do not dwell in the past, do not dream of the future, concentrate the mind on the present moment.

Enlightenment is intimacy with all things.

The more you understand, the more you love; the more you love, the more you understand.

Zen is not necessarily against words, but it is well aware of their limitations.

The present moment is the only moment available to us, and it is the door to all moments.

In my youth I studied, in my prime I practiced, now all my doubts are cleared.

The mind is the source of all happiness and the source of all suffering.

The challenge in meditation is not to eliminate thinking but to understand the nature of thought itself.

Love is not about possession. Love is about appreciation.

If you let go a little, you will have a little peace. If you let go a lot, you will have a lot of peace. If you let go completely, you will have complete peace.

Even death is not to be feared by one who has lived wisely.

When we attempt to exercise power or control over someone else, we cannot avoid giving that person the very same power or control over us.